Professor David Jopling
jopling@yorku.ca
Office Location:  S435 Ross Building
Phone Number:  (416) 736-2100 Ext. 77588

This course explores attempts by a handful of major (and some minor) philosophers, both ancient and modern, to answer the following questions: What is the meaning of life? What is the meaning of my life? Is there any meaning in (my) life that will not be destroyed by (my) death? Is it better to never have been born, as some claim? What is death, and should I be afraid of it? Would it be better to be immortal than mortal? How should I deal with suffering, pain, and loss? Major approaches to be discussed include stoicism, cynicism, hedonism, skepticism, pessimism, anti-natalism, existentialism, absurdism, and theism. Readings from: Epictetus, Epicurus, Aristippus, Diogenes (aka "the Dog"), Sextus Empiricus, Schopenhauer, Spinoza, Tolstoy, Nietzsche, Darwin, Sartre, Camus, Taylor, Nagel, Williams. Links to other relevant materials such as interviews, podcasts, websites, and videos will be posted on the e-class site.

Technical requirements for taking the course: You will need a computer (or tablet) and an internet connection to access the e-class site.

Here are some useful links for student computing information, resources and help:

Student Guide to Moodle

Zoom@YorkU Best Practices 

Zoom@YorkU User Reference Guide

Computing for Students Website

Student Guide to eLearning at York University

To determine Internet connection and speed, there are online tests, such as Speedtest, that can be run.]

Times and locations: TBA

Virtual office hours: TBA.

There is no course kit and no textbook. All texts used in the course are in the public domain and are found on the internet. URLs and links will be posted on the e-class site and in the syllabus.

Two quizzes (10% each); two essays, 40% each, dates TBA

TBA

After completing this course, students will be able to:

1. understand and explain the main philosophical positions defended by Epictetus, Epicurus, Spinoza, Tolstoy, Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, Darwin, Sartre, Nagel, Camus, and others on the problem of the meaning of life;
2. critically analyze and evaluate the arguments developed by these philosophers in defense of their respective positions;
3. understand and explain the relevance of these philosophers to some ancient and contemporary debates in ethics and metaphysics.

Course policies

1. Please hand in all assignments on time. Extensions are allowed in the event of illness, bereavement, disabilities, or special needs. Work that is submitted late and that falls outside these conditions will incur a late penalty of 2% per day. Students with disabilities automatically receive extensions.
2. Please refer to Senate Policy on Academic Honesty: http://www.yorku.ca/secretariat/legislation/senate/acadhone.htm.
3. Please refer to The Academic Integrity Tutorial at: http://www.yorku.ca/tutorial/academic_integrity/